Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-11-18

ing gun and the peal of the morning bu-
giles rang through the great tort together.
Just then he thought more of his friend
Montressor than himself. To me former,
the few short days before his separation
from his young wife ana his departure
had passed like hurried and feverish
dream All was so terribly sudden; but
Claire bore up nobly when, by the light
of the almost level sun, amid dense
crowds, the CLEAN of arms, the crash OF
drums, the dark columns of Sepoys, the
white-helmetted British Infantry, the
quaint Pupj.ub Mountain Batteries, the
glittering staff, the tramp Of hoofs and
rumble of wheels, the march Of the de-
parting columns began.
All seemed to wbirl strangely, ike q
phsutasmagorla, before her eyes.
The grave, loving and earnest face OF
Montressor appeared st one moment to
be close to her own, the next to recede
from her; and then his tender voic-
seemed to sound faint and far away, IS
her senses were apparently Keeling, and
she feared an illness was falling upon her
"Desr Lady Tremayne, you will guard
my darling for me, and keep her till my
return" were his parting words.
|
A letter from Melanie, which Lonsdale
had fondly and desperately hoped might
reach him ere now, never came; and he
embarked tor Burmah, little knowing that
a she had dropped into Uncle Grim
shaw's despatch box went straight there
from into the fire, unopened.
CHAPTER XxXIv-WHY WE WENT TO
BURMAH.
| ~
letters from Melanie TALBOT was the
prevailing sentiment of Lonsdaie. Doubt
of her, or dread of the elderly baronet's
influence, never occurred to him, and he
knew not not, to the full extent, the cruel
pressure which her guardian, Mr.. Grim
shaw, could put upon her with reference
to that invalid brother, on whom she
dotted. Neither had Lonsdale any dread
of illness, as in that case he knew thai
Reginald Talbot, even young Dick, OF
Amy Brendon, would have written to him
and the suspicion that his correspondence
was tempered with, or intercepted, had
cot till of late occurred to his honorable
mind.
| Meanwhile, his friend Montressor was
as vet, q man of out one thought-re
pentance for the act OF folly and
simplicity of his earlier years-which un'
whiting, but terrible error had wrought
so much sorrow and mischief to one he
loved better than himself.
They were together on board the head
quarter ship, in which were also Charlie
Danvers and Cecil Travers. on the staff
out aware of what had transpired, these
young fellows had relinquished their tone
If banter, and sooth to tell, they rather,
when they could, Just then avoided the
grave and taciturn Montressor.
The latter nd Ions iale, like other
company officers, during the first few
hours they were on board, had not much
time given them for "mooning" or re-
Fiction, as they were kept busy enough
by the Queens regu' ations.
In fulfilling the latter, they had to see
their men s'told Off to their berths,
divided into messes and watches, in-
structed in the proper method Of singing
their hammocks and rolling up their bed
ding, that their knapsacks or velisee,
arms, ammunition and accoutrements
we're all slowed IN their proper places,
necesssries served out, hammocks ano
bedding numbered, the guard or special
duty men, the cooking arrangements seen
to, notices issued, and hundred other
details attended to, even to ventilation and
washing places, details of which the gen.
tlemen in England, "Wbo live at home in
esse," have not the slightest idea.
All this was imperative, and served to
kill time, es the great trooper, leading
the whole expedition, steamed on and on
into the Bay of Bengal. There the north
east monsoon, or periodical wind, com
mences about the middle Of October, and
from that time till the beginning of De
cember navigation of the mighty gulf is
dangerous.
| More than once, when Lonsdale looked
at the flying scud eloft, that boded COM
ing rain, and the green rolling sea be-
| low, there came to his mind some Of the
yarns of the poor, s'ricked lSd, Melenie's
brother, and with them recollection OF
| his pale ard worn yet handsome features,
that so closely resembled her own.
On the second night after the sandheads
of the Hooghley had been left asterp,
Lonsdsle was "military officer OF the
WATCH" and had to visit hourly the SEN
tries-whu wer armed with bsyOnets
oply-and to see that no smoking or
lights were apparent, when there was
CRY from the lookout ahead that "some-
thing wss in sight" on the portbow. The
ship was steaming with the wind aft, but
slowly, thus she rolled heavily.
He ordered the "watch-cell" to be
sounded, to call all to their stations for
orders, with the "hslt" for silence; and
the mysts rious "something" came slowly
in sight, ebeam. At SEES, every object that
breaks the monotony of the vast expanse
of sea or sky attracts Geep attention.
The sky was murky and stormy in
aspect; not star was visible. A long
bank of black clouds obsCured The moon,
but narrow strip Of her silver light
poured from behind 1t on the tumbling
ocean, and against the light the waves
rose and fell in sombre, opaque and con-
Icsl outlines, while upon these was visible
that which at first was like sea monster,
some ninety feet long, but from which
rose what was too evidently the stumo of
mast, about eight feet high, with its
gear ewssh.
"A wreck-derelicti" passed from lip
TO lip, as the sombre outline of a half
submerged hull, lifting slowly with the
swell, wet and shining in the weird half
light of the yelled moon, became dis
tinctly visible source of danger to the
craft that came upon it unseen.
All regarded it with mournful interest,
and marveled what was It's story, from
wherever it had come, whittier bound,
and what was the fate of its crew-the
once 1.-the and active fellows who had
manned the riven deck, hung out aloft on
the square yards, while the bright sun
shine or the pale moon had filled the
swelling hollows of the sails-whose